The U.S. Is Deploying an Aircraft Carrier to Latin America

Briefing|The U.S. Is Deploying an Aircraft Carrier to Latin America

In a dramatic escalation of American military might in Latin America, the Pentagon announced today that it was sending the Navy’s most technologically advanced aircraft carrier and its accompanying warships and attack planes to waters in the region.

A military spokesman described the deployment as an effort to “bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States.” It is not clear when the carrier, known as Gerald R. Ford, will arrive. It is currently off the coast of Croatia.

The announcement came soon after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that U.S. troops had killed six people aboard a boat he claimed was carrying drugs, the 10th known attack the administration has launched on such vessels. Like the previous strikes, officials did not say why they decided the boat was a hostile threat. But as my colleague Julian Barnes explained, the decisions appear to be based on intercepted communications.

A broad range of experts have described President Trump’s orders to summarily kill those accused of drug smuggling as patently illegal. But the administration has continued its strikes without offering any substantial legal argument to support them.

The Pentagon accepted a donation to help pay troops

The president said today that a donor had given the government $130 million to help pay troops during the government shutdown. He declined to name the donor, but described him as a “patriot” and a personal friend.

If evenly distributed, the money would pay only about $100 to each service member. But is not yet clear how the money will be used, or whether the donation violates a law prohibiting federal agencies from accepting money in excess of congressional appropriations.

In related news, thousands of federal workers missed their first paycheck this week.

Trump fights with Canada over an ad featuring Reagan

Trump announced late last night that he was cutting off tariff negotiations with Canada — injecting new uncertainty into the U.S.’s relationship with its second-biggest trading partner — because of an advertisement featuring Ronald Reagan.

Trump declared that the ad, which was paid for by the province of Ontario and shows Reagan speaking negatively about tariffs, was “fraudulent.” But while the clips in the ad were edited, they did not alter the substance: Reagan was, in fact, highly critical of tariffs. Ontario said it had paid about $53.5 million to broadcast the ad, which began airing last week in the U.S. during a Blue Jays game against the Seattle Mariners.

The U.S. is monitoring the Gaza cease-fire from the skies

American surveillance drones have flown over the Gaza Strip in recent days as part of a broader effort to ensure that both Israel and Hamas adhere to a fragile cease-fire agreement. The flights support a new Civil-Military Coordination Center in southern Israel established by the U.S. military.

Israeli officials said they had consented to the flights. But the effort suggests that American officials want to have their own understanding, independent of Israel, of what is happening inside the territory.

A tedious utopia in the New Mexico desert

The creator of “Breaking Bad,” Vince Gilligan, is coming out with his first new television series in a decade. In “Pluribus,” which is set to premiere next month on Apple TV, a woman finds out that a mysterious signal from outer space has made almost everyone happy — except her.

The project is in many ways as big as modern TV gets: a high-budget, high-concept character study that combines science fiction, philosophy and sociopolitical allegory. Check out what my colleagues saw when they visited the production in Albuquerque.

Can anyone stop the Dodgers?

The Toronto Blue Jays are one of baseball’s most talented teams. They surged to their first World Series in more than 30 years behind a powerful lineup led by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., inspiring a jolt in Canadian baseball pride. Yet when the World Series begins at 8 p.m. Eastern tonight, they will be clear underdogs.

The wasp nest is in the living room on purpose

Nests — specifically those created by North American baldfaced hornets — have became a surprisingly sought-after home décor item. They are one of a kind, hard to retrieve and, like houseplants, add a touch of nature to any indoor space.

The nests sell from about $40 to $250, though shipping can be expensive because the nests consist of fragile paper made from chewed up wood. The designer Nathan Brown bought a 30-foot ladder to cut one down. “It’s a conversation piece,” Brown said.

Have a standout weekend.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back on Monday. — Matthew

Verónica Sanchis was our photo editor.

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